Ricoh Company, Ltd.

Eiichi Kawamura

Keishi Kubo

Keishi Taniguchi

Hiroshi Goto

Masaru Shimada

Kyoji Tsutsui

Shoji Maruyama

Kiyoshi Tanikawa

Toshiyuki Kawanishi

Ichiro Sawamura

Hiroki Kuboyama

Hideaki Ema

Takehito Yamaguchi

Masato Igarashi

Hiroshi Adachi

Tadashi Saito

Tadashi Saitoh

Nobuhiro Takigawa

Masanaga Imamura

Kouichi Ohshima

Sadao Takahashi

Yoshiyuki Kimura

Kakuji Murakami

Shinichi Kuramoto

Minoru Hakiri

Hideo Watanabe

Narihito Kojima

Atsushi Kutami

Yoshiaki Miyashita

Kazuhiro Ando

Youichi Asaba

Shigeaki Kimura

Mitsuru Ohminato

Kanzirou Kawasaki

Hiroshi Kitazawa

Satoshi Singuryo

Masaru Nakano

A method of reversible selective manifestation of different states of a functional element is disclosed. The functional element is composed of at least two compounds and is capable of alternatively assuming (a) a first state in which the two compounds interact to form a regular aggregate structure, or (b) a second state in which the two compounds do not interact, and at least one of the two compounds is in an aggregate or crystallized state. The respective conditions for attaining one of the two states can be reversibly and extremely speedily controlled, for instance, by use of a heat application device.

Method of reversible selective manifestation of different states of functional element

Emulsion ink, by which clear images are produced, having excellent drying and fixing properties and preservation stability and does not bleed, strike through or leak. The emulsion ink contains an aqueous emulsified ultraviolet cure compound.

Emulsion ink and printing method using emulsion ink

A recording material including paper containing cellulose fibers as the main component, with the elongation percentage of the paper in the cross direction thereof when immersed in water at 20.degree. C. for 1 minute being 1.8 % or less, is produced and recycled. In addition, paper containing cellulose fibers, with the same elongation percentage as mentioned above in the machine direction thereof is also provided.

Recording material, method of producing the same and method of recycling

A reversible thermosensitive recording medium is disclosed which includes an opaque support and a transparent recording film having a thermosensitive layer capable of reversibly assuming a maximum transparent state and a maximum opaque state depending upon the thermal hysteresis thereof. The recording film has an image display section in which a void space is provided between the recording film and the opaque support and a color discriminative from the color of the support. The display section in the maximum transparent state shows a reflectance greater by 5% than that in the maximum opaque state and a transmittance of 20-80% in the maximum transparent state, so that the visibility of the recorded image is improved.

Reversible thermosensitive recording medium

A method for recycling a support material of an image-bearing support is composed of the steps of (a) impregnating an image-bearing support, at least part of which is composed of a paper layer, and on which paper layer images made from a thermofusible ink containing a thermofusible resin component are formed, with at least one of water or an aqueous solution which is selected from the group consisting of an aqueous solution containing a surfactant, an aqueous solution containing a water-soluble polymer, and an aqueous solution containing a water-soluble polymer and a surfactant; (b) causing an image release member to adhere to the image bearing side of the support with the application of heat thereto, the image release member including a resin layer which is composed of the same thermofusible resin component as that contained in the thermofusible ink, or a resin layer having the same or substantially the same SP value as that of the thermofusible resin component in said thermofusible ink; and (c) peeling the images away from the support, under the conditions that the thermofusible ink is fused, by removing the image release member from the support.

Method of recycling support material for image-bearing support

A method of recycling a support material for supporting images thereon, at least part of the support material including a paper layer which contains cellulose fibers as the main component and bears thereon hydrophobic images having a coloring agent and a heat softening or thermofusible material, includes the steps of causing the support material to hold a water-containing image peeling liquid thereon; bringing an image peeling member into contact with the hydrophobic images while the image peeling liquid is held on the support material; and peeling the hydrophobic images off the paper layer, with the image peeling liquid being held in an amount of 1.0 g or more per A4-size paper layer, or with the rate of the penetration of the image peeling liquid into the paper layer of the support material being set at 12 ml/m.sup.2 or more for a contact time of 0.4 seconds in which the image peeling liquid is in contact with the paper layer, or with the contact angle of the image peeling liquid with respect to the hydrophobic images being 100.degree. or less.

Method of recycling support material for image-bearing member

A predetermined processing liquid is supplied by a liquid supplying unit to a sheet of transfer paper having a surface on which toner is stably attached. An adhesive state of the toner on the transfer paper sheet is changed to an unstable adhesive state. The processing liquid is constructed by water, aqueous solutions of a surfactant, a water-soluble polymer, etc. The transfer paper sheet including the processing liquid is fed to a toner separating unit. While the toner is heated and pressurized in the toner separating unit, the toner is attached to a separating roller having a surface on which the softened toner is easily attached. The toner separating unit then separates only the transfer paper sheet from the surface of the separating roller by a separating claw. The processing liquid is removed from the transfer paper sheet by heating the transfer paper sheet, etc. using a drying unit such that the transfer paper sheet can be reused for a copying machine, etc. Thereafter, the transfer paper sheet is discharged onto a paper discharging tray. Accordingly, it is possible to provide a method and an apparatus for regenerating and reusing the transfer paper sheet by removing the toner therefrom without damaging paper fibers.

Method and apparatus for regenerating image holding member

An image-bearing member for supporting thereon images formed by a thermofusible or heat-softening ink containing a dye coloring component, at least part of the image-bearing member having a paper layer which contains cellulose fibers and a discoloring agent capable of discoloring the dye coloring component of the thermofusible or heat-softening ink. In addition, a method for recycling the above-mentioned image-bearing member is also disclosed.

Image-bearing member and method for recycling the same

A method of recycling a copy sheet carrying a hydrophobic image thereon by impregnating the sheet with a water-containing separating liquid, causing the to image contact an image separating member, and heating the sheet for thereby transferring the image to the image separating member. The image separating member has a critical surface tension of 25 mN/m or above.

Method of recycling an image carrying medium and an image separating

A reversible thermosensitive coloring composition is composed of an electron-donor coloring compound; an electron-acceptor compound which is capable of producing a colored material with a regularly aggregated structure in the electron-doner coloring compound at a color development initiation temperature to obtain a color development state, and is capable of crystallizing out of the colored material at a decolorization initiation temperature which is lower than the color development initiation temperature; and an organic compound serving as a decolorization-accelerating agent capable of inducing the destruction of the regularly aggregated structure of the colored material to accelerate the decolorization of the composition. A reversible thermosensitive coloring recording medium is composed of a support and a recording layer formed thereon, which contains the above-mentioned reversible thermosensitive coloring composition.

Reversible thermosensitive coloring composition, and recording medium

A reversible thermosensitive coloring composition is composed of (i) an electron-donor coloring compound and (ii) an electron-acceptor compound selected from the group consisting of an organic phosphoric acid compound, an aliphatic carboxylic acid, and a phenolic compound, each having a straight chain or branched chain alkyl group or alkyenyl group having 12 or more carbon atoms, the electron-donor coloring compound and the electron-acceptor compound being capable of reacting to induce color formation in the reversible thermosensitive coloring composition at the eutectic temperature thereof. The electron-donor coloring compound and the electron-acceptor compound, when fused and colored in a mixed state, with application of heat thereto, followed by rapidly cooling the fused mixture, exhibit an exothermic peak in a temperature elevation process in a differential scanning calorific analysis or in a differential thermal analysis. A recording medium and display medium using the above reversible thermosensitive coloring composition, a recording method of using the recording medium, a display method of using the display medium, a display method of using the display medium, and a display apparatus using the display medium are disclosed.

Reversible thermosensitive coloring composition, recording medium,

A reversible thermosensitive coloring composition is composed of (i) an electron-donor coloring compound and (ii) an electron-acceptor compound selected from the group consisting of an organic phosphoric acid compound, an aliphatic carboxylic acid, and a phenolic compound, each having a straight chain or branched chain alkyl group or alkenyl group having 12 or more carbon atoms, the electron-donor coloring compound and the electron-acceptor compound being capable of reacting to induce color formation in the reversible thermosensitive coloring composition at the eutectic temperature thereof. The electron-donor coloring compound and the electron-acceptor compound, when fused and colored in a mixed state, with application of heat thereto, followed by rapidly cooling the fused mixture, exhibit an exothermic peak in a temperature elevation process in a differential scanning calorific anlaysis or in a differential thermal analysis. A recording medium and display medium using the above reversible thermosensitive coloring composition, a recording method of using the recording medium, a display method of using the display medium, a display method of using the display medium, and a display apparatus using the display medium are disclosed.

Reversible thermosensitive coloring recording medium, recording method,

A thermosensitive image transfer medium consisting of (i) an image transfer sheet having an image transfer layer consisting essentially of a leuco dye, and (ii) an acceptor sheet having an acceptor layer consisting essentially of a color developer which induces color formation in the leuco dye, the color developer being a mixture of a bisphenol derivative of the following formula and a p-hydroxybenzoic acid ester with a melting point of 100.degree. C. or less, and, of the image transfer layer and said acceptor layer, at least one layer containing a porous filler having an oil absorption of 50 ml/100 g or more as measured in accordance with the Japanese Industrial Standard K 5101, ##STR1## wherein X.sup.1 and X.sup.2 each represent a lower alkyl group or halogen, R.sup.1 and R.sup.2 each represent hydrogen or an alkyl group having 1 to 6 carbon atoms, and m and n each represent an integer of 0 through 4.

Growing community of inventors

Numazu, Japan

Eiichi Kawamura